Courtneys SandCastleCourtneys SandCastle

A Universally Accessible Playground

Plans for sensory garden in San Clemente move forward

Plans for sensory garden in San Clemente move forward

OC Register May 22, 2014 by Fred Swegles

City leaders hire contractor to build the $439,579 structure as the final touch to Courtney’s SandCastle.

Courtney Smith, 17, and Sharla Pitzen of Courtney’s SandCastle Charitable Foundation present San Clemente with $50,000 to help complete funding to add a sensory garden to the Courtney’s SandCastle universal-access playground.
Courtney Smith, 17, and Sharla Pitzen of Courtney’s SandCastle Charitable Foundation present San Clemente with $50,000 to help complete funding to add a sensory garden to the Courtney’s SandCastle universal-access playground.

San Clemente’s Courtney Smith was 4 years old in 2001 when adults in her life set out to find a way to build south Orange County’s first universal-access playground in her name.

On Tuesday night, the now-17-year-old, who has spinal muscular atrophy, was all smiles as San Clemente’s elected leaders hired a contractor to build a $439,579 sensory garden as the final touch to Courtney’s SandCastle, a playground that opened in 2012 at Vista Hermosa Sports Park.

“This has been a very long journey for all of us,” Smith said.

The City Council accepted a $50,000 donation from the Courtney’s SandCastle Charitable Foundation to help close a $113,000 funding gap. Taylor Morrison, new owner of San Clemente’s Marblehead Coastal residential development, donated $70,000 to close the gap completely, the city said.

Earlier, the foundation raised $340,000 toward the sensory garden, which will include a path, shade structure, tidal pool, interactive granite water sphere and music panels.